100 Saxophones celebrate 100 years of Sun Ra

May 22, 2014

May 22 marks the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Sun Ra. Born Herman Blount in Birmingham, Alabama, Ra claims to have had an out-of-body experience during college where he was teleported to Saturn, and told by the beings there that he would change the world through his music. There’s no disputing the last part of the story. Ra did change music by pushing the boundaries of Jazz through various incarnations of his “Arkestra”. Centennial celebrations will take place all summer, culminating in a tribute to Ra at the Chicago Jazz Fest. First up: 100 saxophones for Son Ra Thursday at noon in Washington Park. David Boykin is behind the event and joins us with more about Ra’s life and music.
(Photo: Flickr/RasMarley)